Are you a fan of the original Gameboy form factor? Do you like your handhelds big, meaty, or just overall chunky? If candy bar form factor devices aren’t your thing, and verticals are cramp city, Anbernic may have the answer for you. The RG405V, a pretty hefty looking device, is launching this Monday, September 4th at 3am PST or 6am EST. The nicest thing? We already know quite a bit of this device.
Let’s start with the specs. The RG405V comes rocking with the Unisoc T618. This is a chip we’ve seen in about 6 other handhelds up until this point (8 if you count the 2 revisions Powkiddy made to the X18S). That means that we already know what this chip is capable of; up to some (not all) Gamecube and Playstation 2 emulation. Alongside that familiar chip comes 4gb of ram, 128gb of storage, Wifi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5 all powered by a similarly chunky 5,500mAh battery. As well as that, running a 4 inch, 640×480, 4:3 screen that’s pretty similar, if not the same as the screen that can be found in the RG405M.
With specs like that, you’ll need a good-looking handheld to put it in, and the 405V sure has… looks. It’s a bit bulbous, but the RG405V is a vertical that comes in 3 colors: Transparent Purple, Gray, and Wood grain. That’s a color that we haven’t seen since the RG351V. While it is large like the 351V, this new device is even wider, and thicker to accommodate the nice and chunky grips built into the back of the handheld, as well as the little vent up top to house the fan (which likely won’t have an impact on performance, but will have it on temps). Overall, it’s a big, wide handheld that should be pretty comfortable to users, even with the interesting placement of the dual hall-effect joysticks.
Finally, there’s the price. Starting at $130 for the first 48 hours, before moving up to $138 afterward, the 405V comes in at a pretty competitive price for the T618 devices. On Anbernic’s own website, the closest device is the RG505 at $138. A horizontal T618 with a 4.95” OLED display, and controls that make you wonder how large your hands need to be to reach the sticks and shoulder buttons. At the same price point, the big thing you’d want to ask yourself is, do you want horizontal? Or vertical?
Regardless, the RG405V is already setting itself up to be an excellent option in the market. If you’re looking for a real “Thicc (with 2 C’s) Boi” handheld, and are excited to see a vertical wider than the OG Gameboy- this is it. Just… please don’t try to put this in your skinny jeans.
Watch our First Look video here.
🛒Available Now:
Anbernic.com
AliExpress
What did you think of this article? Let us know in our Discord!
This page may contain affiliate links, by purchasing something through a link, Retro Handhelds may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you.